First Contact
by Nerdherder51
Summary: A new sensor array on the Enterprise-E detects a strange anomaly in the Earth's atmosphere. Captain Picard investigates and finds a woman who claims to be 500 years old and challenges everything he has ever known about his home world. Rated K plus for mild language. Ch. 4 now posted.
1. Chapter 1

**First Contact  
A Tinker Bell / Star Trek: The Next Generation  
Crossover Short Story**

**Tinker Bell and all related characters and content are the property of The Walt Disney Company. The character of Tinker Bell originated by J. M. Barrie.**

**Star Trek: The Next Generation and all related characters and content are the property of Paramount Pictures. Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation created by Gene Roddenberry. **

**This fan fiction is not for monetary gain and is only intended for the amusement of its audience.**

* * *

1

The _Enterprise-E_ had returned to Earth on a special assignment. The vessel was to be outfitted with a new prototype sensor array. It had the ability to detect energy and radiation signatures never before recorded. Some of these signatures had been theorized while others were completely unkown. The starship and its complement of shuttles were fitted with the new sensors while all new tricorders which could detect the energy signatures had been brought on board issued to the crew.

Captain Picard took a little time to visit relatives in France once the refit had been completed. Upon his return he brought with him several bottles of Chateau Picard from the family vineyards to celebrate the occasion. On the _Enterprise_ shuttlecraft _USS Jonathan Griffiths_, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, engineer Commander Geordi La Forge and the resurrected Commander Data were returning to the orbiting dry dock where the Enterprise had been moored during the installation of the sensor array.

Data, who had been destroyed during the incursion of the Picard clone Shinzon several years earlier, had uploaded his entire body of knowledge, personality and identity into his "brother" the early model named B4 that had been found abandoned shortly before the arrival of Picard's clone. Over time Data's implant overtook B4's neural pathways and the lower intelligence personality all but disappeared, stored in a small part of the android's long term memory. Once the revived Data was declared fit for duty he was installed as the new First Officer of the _Enterprise-E_. Commander Worf willingly stepped aside and took the role of Second Officer and head of security. When the _Enterprise_ returned for the refit, Worf accepted a transfer to the _U.S.S. Titan_ as Will Riker's First Officer.

"These new sensors are going to open whole new frontiers for us, Captain," Geordi said.

"So you've told me," Picard answered with a smile.

"Geordi," Data interrupted, "you have made this observation eight times to Captain Picard since our arrival on Earth."

"Thank you, Data," Captain Picard said, diplomatically telling his android office to shut up. It felt good to have Data back to his old self.

Captain Picard was no longer a young man. He took the captaincy of the _Enterprise_ later in life than many of his peers might have. He had been considering retirement and toyed with the idea of becoming an archeologist exploring ancient ruins on distant planets. The announcement of the new sensors reinvigorated him and he chose to remain in Starfleet for another deployment on the _Enterprise-E_. The mission was to test the new sensors in field conditions at select locations throughout the Alpha Quadrant. Once completed, the information gathered on how the new systems performed would be used to make improvements after which they would become standard equipment on all Federation Starships in operation.

Despite his age, Jean-Luc felt young again, as he did when he first set foot on the _Enterprise-D_ as its new commanding officer. It was a heady feeling.

Geordi expertly piloted the shuttle higher into the Earth's atmosphere. As the craft ascended higher above the French countryside, Picard looked out the front window and saw the stars in the sky come into view against a blue sky that continued to turn darker and darker as the atmosphere thinned.

"What does that remind you of, Geordi," Picard asked with a smile and a glint in his eye.

"I see stars, planets...," Geordi responded, unsure as to what the captain was referring.

"There," Picard said pointing. "Those two stars, to the Starboard. Do you see them?"

Geordi searched the star field for a moment. "You mean over there? One star brighter than the other."

"Yes. What does it remind you of?" the captain asked again.

The engineer was briefly silent. "I don't..., I can't think of anything."

"Didn't you ever read Peter Pan when you were a child?"

"Oh, of course. 'Second star to the right and straight on till morning.' Just like in the book."

"Yes, indeed."

"What a strange coincidence," the engineer commented.

"Perhaps not, Geordi," Data suggested. "It is possible that author J. M. Barrie saw the star pattern in the sky and incorporated it into his narrative."

"I didn't think about that," Geordi responded. "All of these years it has been right before our eyes and no one noticed."

Picard turned to his first officer and said, "An apt description of our new sensors, wouldn't you say, Mr. Data?"

After due consideration Data replied, "Indeed."

Captain Picard and Commander LaForge looked at each other and shared a sly grin.

The engineer had been very eager to test the new sensors and with the captain's permission activated them onboard the shuttle. They weren't expecting anything unique other than the background radiation previous, planet bound prototypes had already found. A moment later the computer chirped.

"Curious," Data said as he observed the readings on his screen. "The new array has located an anomaly in Earth's atmosphere. It has never been recorded before."

"That was quick," Geordi remarked.

"It seems that our new equipment has already suffered its first glitch," Picard muttered. A minute later Data announced that the sensors were functioning within normal operating parameters. No malfunction or "glitches" were found in the system.

Concerned, Picard viewed the readouts on his computer terminal. The anomaly was located over the English Channel, barely fifty kilometers from the coast of Great Britain. London was the closest major city, according to the map overlay on his screen. Further sensor readings determined that it was some sort of hole in the fabric of space-time. This hole was a thin, elongated slit that ran from the top of the troposphere to below the water's surface of the Channel.

Picard contacted the _USS Enterprise_ and ordered them do a sensor sweep of the same area to ensure that the new sensors on the Shuttlecraft Griffiths were not faulty. A few minutes later the _Enterprise_ confirmed what the shuttlecraft occupants had discovered.

After a moment of thought, Captain Picard ordered the shuttlecraft to change course. The new heading was for the anomaly. "Contact Starfleet," he said. "Inform them of our findings and that we are moving to investigate further."

The shuttlecraft descended back into the Earth's lower atmosphere and moved to a point ten kilometers from the slit, positioning itself between it and the island nation of Britain. From here, Picard and his two officers probed the rip in space-time using the new array. They determined that something was on the other side. Picard ordered a complete and deep scan of the rift.

Several hours later the results revealed some very interesting data. The returns found an earth like atmosphere, with components and gases the same as on earth and in the same precise ratios as on earth. There was saline water just like the oceans of earth. Plant and animal life were detected as well as several land masses.

"Islands," Data specified. The scans also revealed that the other side seemed to have boundaries, but of indeterminate points.

"Captain, I believe that what we have found is what is commonly referred to as a pocket universe."

"Yes, Mr. Data, but on a much larger scale," Picard amended.

"What do we do next?" Geordi asked.

Picard had already been pondering this exact question. There were so many variables. Was this a stable rift? How long had it been here? Minutes, days, months, years, millennia? How long would it remain? What was on the other side? Another civilization? Were they hostile or friendly?

Picard took in a deep breath, held it and then let it out with an audible sigh. He tapped the communications cluster and opened a channel. "_Enterprise_, have Dr. Crusher report to the shuttlecraft. Tell her she is to prepare for an away mission."

"Aye, sir," came the reply over the comm. channel.

"Captain, do you intend to enter the pocket universe?" Data asked.

"Yes, Mr. Data. I do."

"May I remind the captain that as your first officer it is my duty...,"

"Yes, Mr. Data, I am well aware of your duty to recommend that I remain aboard the _Enterprise_. It has been noted. I am going anyway."

"Yes, captain," Data acknowledged.

While the trio waited for Dr. Crusher to arrive Captain Picard was struck by another intriguing coincidence. The star which he had noticed earlier, the second to the right, from this angle was in the middle of the rift the sensors had detected.

_Could it be possible?_ he asked himself. No of course not. To believe in Never Land would mean believing in Peter Pan, fairies and fairy dust. Absurd.

A shimmering of light brought the form of Dr. Beverly Crusher to the shuttlecraft.

"I'm ready," she said. "Where are we going?"

Data relayed to the doctor what they had learned so far. She sat down and readied herself for God knows what. Geordi's hands played across the piloting controls. The shuttlecraft placidly moved forward. Using sensors only he brought the small vessel through the hole in space-time.

To the naked eye nothing seemed to change. In fact, the captain had to ask when they had passed through the event horizon. Everything was as ordinary and earth-like as possible. The water was clear. The sky was blue. Seagulls winged there way through the air and fish swam in the waters below. The sun shown and illuminated everything in sight. Surprisingly, it was the very same one that the Earth orbited. The location trackers on the shuttlecraft said that they were still over the English Channel. The _Enterprise-E_ was still present, as were the dry docks and the star-port that was in geosynchronous orbit above the European continent.

"Where are we?" Dr. Crusher asked.

Data postulated that this pocket universe may share the same space with the earth, but that it was only accessible through the rift in space-time. It shared the same atmosphere and environments yet was still a separate and confined space.

"Fascinating," Picard said, commenting on Data's analysis. "No pocket universe has ever shown such characteristics."

"So then where are we exactly?" Dr. Crusher asked again. This time, no one had an answer.

~O~

* * *

**This story takes place within the Tinker Bell movie-verse. The concept of Data taking over B4's body was hinted at in the film _Star Trek: Nemesis_. The comic _Star Trek: Countdown_, an official prequel to the _Star Trek_ reboot film also uses this concept to bring Data back into continuity.**

**Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this first chapter please let me know.**


	2. Chapter 2

**First Contact Ch. 2**

* * *

The shuttle held its position just inside the invisible rift in the earth's atmosphere. Captain Picard ordered a second deep sensor scan now that they were within the anomaly. After a few minutes a hail came through the communications system.

"Shuttle_ Jonathan Griffiths_, this the _Enterprise_, respond please. Captain Picard, are you..."

"This is Captain Picard," he said answering the hail.

"Captain, we lost visual and sensor contact with your shuttlecraft," Lt. Commander Franklin said. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine. Commander, you said you have lost sensor contact."

"Yes, sir, just as you entered that rift in the atmosphere," Franklin answered.

"That's strange, our shuttle is maintaining sensor contact with the Enterprise," Picard said. "In fact, our readings show everything as normal."

"We don't see you at all, Captain."

"Rest assured we are well, Commander," Picard informed his bridge officer. "Prepare to receive our sensor data. We will be transmitting it to you as it is collected. Please analyze it and report back when you have found anything out of the ordinary. Shuttlecraft _Griffiths_ out."

For more than an hour the shuttle remained above the waters. Birds and insects flew past. A curious ladybug alighted on the hull, crawling around until satisfied with its inspection and lifted off. Sensors indicated it was an ordinary earth insect. Nothing about it at all was unusual in any possible way.

"Captain, sensors readings from within the anomaly are no different than those taken outside," Data said.

"What about the stability of the rift, Mr. Data?"

"It appears to be stable," the android replied. Data further explained that the sheer lack of information regarding the phenomena made it impossible to offer a definitive answer.

"Understood Mr. Data, thank you." Captain Picard decided to continue further into the pocket universe and explore the islands that were detected earlier.

* * *

The Enterprise shuttlecraft _USS Jonathan Griffiths_ approached the closest and largest land mass. It was a sizable island which was distinguished by it's rather unusual mixture of geography and flora. The shuttle circled the island, starting from its western side and glided south in a counterclockwise path around the land mass. It passed over a headland on the western side, near which was a forest of pine trees. Along its southern coast was a sizable cove followed by a point. Moving north, a bluff could be seen adjacent to a bight. Further up the eastern coast was a lagoon.

Most of the land near the coastline and moving inward was covered with thick tropical jungles and towering palm trees. Inland the terrain changed to a variety of hard scrabble ground, grassy fields and natural gardens of flowering plants. At the island's center were several hills, mountains and one peak which was high enough to collect snow and alter the atmosphere sufficiently to create its own cloud ring. Rivers ran through several of the valleys bringing water from the melted snow down to the cove on the southern shore.

A sensor sweep also detected something else that was very peculiar, numerous humanoid life signs.

"Are you certain, Dr. Crusher?" Picard asked his Chief Medical Officer.

"Yes, Captain, humanoid life signs in the lagoon," she replied.

"_In_ the lagoon?"

"Wait," she said, readjusting the sensors for a more accurate reading. "I'm also picking up human life signs," she corrected.

"Human? Are you certain, Doctor?" Picard questioned.

"Very," she answered him. "There is a group on the headland, another near the cove and a third that seems to be..., well now this is strange."

"What is it doctor?"

"The third grouping seems to be under the ground," she answered.

"Underground?" Mr. La Forge asked, disbelieving the report.

"Geordi, we have encountered subterranean civilizations in the past," Data reminded him.

"Yes, Data, but those were usually advanced societies," Geordi said. "I'm not seeing any indications of industrialization or modern technology down there."

"They could be cave dwellers, Geordi," Data said, correcting the engineer.

"We have finished our survey of the island, Captain," Commander Data told Picard. He reported that the island itself seemed to be the source of the unusual energy signature that revealed the time-space rift. However, the sensors could not pinpoint the exact location. Picard located a favorable clearing near the beach and ordered the shuttle to land.

"_Enterprise_, this is Shuttlecraft _Griffiths_, we are going to set down and investigate further on foot. We will keep you updated on our progress, Picard out."

Once the shuttle had landed the foursome equipped themselves properly, taking phasers and tricorders each while Dr. Crusher also brought her medical kit. "Set your phasers to the lowest stun setting," Picard said. "Use force only when absolutely necessary. We don't know who or what we are dealing with here." Picard and his officers disembarked the shuttlecraft and walked towards the shoreline and flora near the water's edge.

"It looks like your run of the mill tropical island," Geordi commented. Data opened his scientific tricorder and analyzed the plants. His readouts seemed to confirm Geordi's assessment. The plants were identical to those found elsewhere on the Earth.

"Data, look at this," Geordi said, calling his friend. The android found La Forge picking something out of the sand. It was an isolinear chip used in Federation technology. "It looks like its about three generations out of date for Starfleet use."

Picard, who accompanied Data looked at the chip and said that some civilian vessels made use of older, outdated technology. It may have washed ashore from a sailing vessel or a crashed personal shuttle.

"Captain," Dr. Crusher called. "I'm reading a small animal life form. A mouse."

"What's so unusual about that, Doctor?" Picard said as he strolled over to the Medical Officer.

"Take a look for yourself," she answered.

"Data, if you would?" he asked his first officer. Data complied and reached down, picking up the small furry creature. The mouse, a common field mouse, was hitched to something.

"Doctor, is that what I think it is?" Picard asked.

"Yes, it's a wagon. A tiny wagon."

"To be more specific, Doctor, it is a cart," Data said pointing out that a cart possessed a single axle and two wheels, whereas a wagon was defined by four wheels and a larger and heavier construction. He noted that the planks used in its construction were cut or carved and held together with tiny dowels and twine made from plant fibers.

"Impossible," Picard said. "This island appears as normal as any on Earth, then we find this mouse employed as a draught animal hitched to a cart constructed as if by tiny people."

"Why would anyone build such a thing?" Dr. Crusher asked. "What purpose would it serve?"

"That's what I intend to find out," Picard answered. "First, I want to locate the source of those strange energy readings. Mr. Data, Mr. La Forge, you will head east, Doctor Crusher and I will go west and between us we should be able to triangulate its exact position."

The four split into their two respective groups. Data released the hitched mouse and joined Commander La Forge heading to the east. Unbeknownst to any of the four, a small figure approached and guided the little mouse and his cart away from the shore.

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**Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**First Contact**

Chapter 3

* * *

Lt. Commander Franklin, who had the conn in the absence of the both the captain and first officer, walked towards one of the engineering stations on the _Enterprise_ bridge. Engineer Lt. Chamberlin was at the station making adjustments.

"Any luck?" Franklin asked.

"Nothing yet, Commander, but I'm on top of it," Chamberlin replied.

"Good, keep at it," Franklin exhorted the young engineer.

When Captain Picard announced that the members of the away team were going on foot, Lt. Commander Franklin decided to adjust ship's sensors so they could penetrate the strange time-space rift. Franklin wanted a sensor and transporter lock on the away team. If they found themselves in immediate danger, he would be able to transport them out instantly. Franklin secretly wished that Captain Picard had not proceeded into the strange pocket universe. Captains were supposed to stay aboard ship and let their subordinates do all the dirty work. The days of Captain Kirk gallivanting across alien plants with Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy in tow were long gone. Or, at least they were supposed to be.

**~O~**

"This is fascinating," Dr. Crusher stated. She was studying a plant that bore fruit. "If I didn't know any better I would swear these were raspberries."

Picard nodded knowingly. "You've said that about every plant we've encountered, Doctor," he answered. Indeed, Dr. Crusher had stopped repeatedly to study and take tricorder readings from various flora. She had identified several species of Roses, and Lilies, and had encountered Periwinkle blooms, daisies, cat-o-nine tails, strawberry and blueberry plants, grapevines, palm trees, cherry trees and even several varieties of oak.

The doctor then spied a large bird in the sky. It was a hawk, taking after prey. The two proceeded further west when two squirrels ran by her feet and up a tree into a knothole. Along a trickling stream were several horseflies darting about. Here, Doctor Crusher found frogs, dragonflies and even some blinking fireflies.

Captain Picard was not in any mood for dawdling, but his scientific curiosity was as piqued as hers so he tolerated it. Doctor Crusher then found several types of herbs, which could be either used for medicinal purposes or cooking.

A butterfly floated passed. She was astonished. "This is impossible!"

"What is, Doctor?" Picard casually asked.

"This butterfly," she told him, pointing to the winged insect as it landed on a nearby branch. "It's called The Purple Emperor, species Apatura Iris."

"You must be mistaken, Doctor," he replied. "The Apatura Iris became extinct in the middle part of the twenty first century, just prior to the third world war."

"Exactly, but here it is."

Captain Picard had been trying to press forward and had little time for her games. He turned around and walked back to the good doctor, prepared to remind her of their purpose when Picard saw the insect on the branch. "My word, it can't be."

"Now why does that sound familiar?" she asked with her own knowing smile.

"Are you certain that this is a Purple Emperor, Doctor?" he asked her.

"Completely, tricorder readings are undeniable," she told him.

"Is this the only one you've seen, Beverly?"

"Yes," she answered him. "I wonder if there are others on this island."

"Another mystery for us to unravel," he told her. "Now, if you please, we must keep moving."

**~O~**

Starfleet Command contacted the _Enterprise-E_ and demanded an update. Lt. Commander Franklin informed Admiral Armistead that the away team had landed on the island and were proceeding on foot. Captain Picard had checked in once since leaving the shuttlecraft. He said that the away team was attempting to triangulate the source of the strange energy readings on the island.

"Where are they now?" Armistead queried.

"We don't know exactly," Franklin replied. "Our sensors can't penetrate the rift. However, I have our engineering team working on that problem at this moment."

"Good work, inform me immediately once you've been able to locate Captain Picard and his party," Armistead said.

The view screen image of Admiral Armistead wiped away and was replaced with the image of the English Channel as seen from orbit.

"You didn't tell the admiral about the mouse pulling the cart?" the helm officer said.

"And get busted down to Ensign? Are you crazy?"

**~O~**

"Captain, we are in position," Commander Data's voice said through the communicator.

"So are we, begin triangulation sequence," Picard replied. The captain worked his tricorder and began to take readings on the energy signature. He relayed his information to Commander Data who determined that the source was on the North Central part of the island inside of a valley surrounded by hills and mountains on three sides, north, east and south.

The shuttle's sensors had had difficulty recording any specific information about that region of the island. _Very curious_, he thought. Picard silently theorized that whatever the source of the energy readings, it interfered with the sensor's capability to record any useful or specific data. Picard and Dr. Crusher started back towards the shuttlecraft. While they walked, he worked out in his mind any possible reasons for this strange phenomenon. It could be a natural substance causing the interference. Perhaps there was an advance society using a technology that hid them from traditional Starfleet technology. If so, were they friendly or hostile? He vetted his theories with Dr. Crusher.

"Hostile?" she asked. "Wouldn't they have attacked us by now if they were hostile? They are hiding from us, how hostile could they be?"

"A matter of survival, Doctor," he answered. "Stealth may have been their first line of defense. Once being exposed they could attack us to protect their home."

"If that is the case shouldn't we leave immediately?"

"We don't know, Doctor, it is just a hypothesis," Picard replied.

"It's not a very pleasant one, Captain."

"You forget, Beverly, unpleasantness is part of our job," Jean-Luc answered.

"I haven't forgotten," she answered tersely. "I'm just more of an optimist than you are."

Picard's communicator chirped. "Data to Captain Picard."

He tapped the comm-badge on his chest and answered. "Picard here, Commander Data, what is it?"

"Sir, tricorder readings indicate a single human life sign approaching the shuttlecraft," the android reported.

Picard and Crusher looked at each other. They shared a worried look. "Return to the landing site, but do not approach or engage the natives. You are to remain hidden until we arrive, is that clear?"

"Yes, Captain," Data replied.

"Picard out." He tapped his badge closing the comm line.

"Looks like we're are going to test out your theory, Captain," Crusher said. "I hope it isn't going to be unpleasant."

"You are not alone, Doctor," Picard admitted.

**~O~**

"I wonder where it came from?" she asked. "I've never seen anything like it." The young woman walked around the odd-looking ship admiring its design aesthetics. She touched it gently, pulling away in an instant before putting her hand to it again. The woman then found what appeared to be a door.

"Hello in there," she yelled. "Hello!"

When no one answered, she knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"I wonder if the ship is abandoned?" she asked her companion who was also studying the vessel. "Look at this! The ship is named for Jonathan Griffiths. That's my great, great grand uncle. He was a scientist, too, you know, an entomologist. What? Oh, entomology is the study of insects. Yes, sort of like my father."

**~O~**

"Who is that woman?" Crusher asked.

"Is she human?" Captain Picard returned. The two were hiding in the shrubbery just beyond the clearing. Palm trees on either side framed the scene as though they were watching an old movie. They were too far away to understand clearly, what she was saying. It came across as distant chatter.

The doctor worked her medical tricorder and took what readings she could from this distance.

"According to this, she is just as much a human as you or I, but I'll need a closer inspection to be sure."

"It appears that she is conversing with someone, but I see only one person," Picard said.

"I'm detecting the one life sign, Captain," she answered him. "Try your tricorder."

Picard opened his scientific tricorder and began to survey the area with it. It chirped and tweeted, informing him that something in close proximity was giving off those same energy readings that they had triangulated earlier. It wasn't a very strong signal, but it was near the shuttlecraft and that woman.

_This is very odd_, Picard thought to himself.

The woman herself was an oddity. Appearing to be in her mid-thirties, she spoke with a Londoner's accent, but it was an old accent. One not heard in many centuries. Her attire was equally archaic. The woman dressed in what appeared to be clothing from the late Victorian or the Edwardian Era. Her hair was also fashioned from that period.

Dr. Crusher's tricorder suddenly chirped to life. It was recording a human and android nearing their position at a high rate of speed. Picard heard the footfalls as Commander's La Forge and Data approached at a full sprint.

"Data, report," Picard demanded.

"Captain, Geordi and I were being pursued by natives," Data answered.

"Data, I thought I told you not to engage the native population," Picard said.

"They engaged us," Data replied. "We were captured by cannibals."

"Cannibals?" Doctor Crusher replied, rather surprised. She was busy tending to Commander La Forge who was breathing heavily.

"I'm getting too old for this stuff," the engineer managed to say between gulps of air.

"Yes, Doctor, they announced their intentions to us directly," the android said. "When an opportunity for escape presented itself, we seized it and fled on foot."

"Were you followed?" Picard asked Data.

"I believe they gave up pursuit some time ago," Data replied. "However, Commander La Forge was not entirely convinced and continued to run."

"Better safe than sorry," La Forge added, his heavy breathing starting to wane.

"Hello? Is someone there?" the woman called out.

Picard turned and saw the archaically dressed woman approaching their position. "Hello?" she called again.

"Now what do we do?" Beverly asked.

Picard gave the matter some thought. Every strange thing he had seen today piqued his curiosity to no end. This island inside a pocket universe, a mouse as a draught animal, a tiny cart, a butterfly long extinct, fauna and flora normally found on earth, this woman dressed in five hundred year old clothing and now cannibals. He demanded answers. He chose to get them.

"We present ourselves to her," he said. "Doctor, you are with me. Data, you and Commander La Forge remain here."

Picard reasoned that an android and a human with ocular implants might confuse or even frighten the woman.

"A wise precaution," Data replied. The android took up helping the engineer while Doctor Crusher joined the captain as they exited the safety of their cover.

The woman stopped in her tracks when the two walked out from the trees. "Who are you?" she asked them cautiously. The woman briefly turned her head to glimpse backward; however, Picard noticed that she did not look towards the shuttlecraft, but beyond it. He surmised that the woman was checking on someone who was hiding in close proximity.

"We mean you no harm," Picard said. "My name is Captain Jean-Luc Picard. This is Doctor Beverly Crusher."

"A doctor of what discipline?" she asked.

"A medical doctor," Beverly answered.

The woman turned her eyes back to Picard and asked, "What is your ship, captain?"

"The _USS Enterprise_."

"You don't sound American," she stated. "Are you from the mainland?"

Captain Picard didn't know exactly how to answer. His facial express, nonetheless, did not betray his confusion.

"Yes, we are," he answered with a pleasant smile.

Picard was uncertain if he was lying, but he could always admit to not understanding her point of reference. "The mainland" was very ambiguous.

"What is your name?" he asked her.

"I am Doctor Elizabeth Griffiths," she answered.

Captain Picard's eyes darted to the shuttlecraft and then back to the woman.

"I am doctor of Botony and Zoology," she proceeded, anticipating the next question. The woman approached them further. She opened her mouth to ask another question when two men ran from the trees behind Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher.

"They're here," one of them yelled. Several humanoids came charging out of the trees carrying spears in hand. They were dressed in minimal clothing and with some kind of white paint smeared all over their bodies. Each of them wore human bones woven into jewelry and body armor. One, the leader, covered his face with a large, ornately painted mask.

"Run!" Picard ordered those around him. Crusher followed orders, but Doctor Griffiths did not. Instead, she calmly walked towards the oncoming horde. She stopped and began to speak to them in a loud voice with a harsh tone. Nothing she said made any sense to Picard because the universal translators built into the comm badges could not understand the language. He and the others had stopped running and watched as the strange scene unfolded before them. She put her hand up, ordering them to stop. Then she spoke to the leader who appeared to listen intently. Dr. Griffiths pointed to the shuttlecraft as she talked to the masked man.

"Are these your cannibals, Mr. Data?" Picard asked.

"Yes, Captain," he answered. "The apparently located us."

"It would seem so," Picard replied.

"Does she know them?" Beverly asked. "How could anyone be friendly with cannibals?"

The cannibal leader said something before turning around to take the others back into the trees. Dr. Griffiths returned to Picard and Crusher.

"How did you do that?" Captain Picard asked, very curious. "They should have killed you."

"They are harmless, Captain," she answered. "It was only a game they play. I'm sorry that they upset you."

"A game?" Picard was becoming quite frustrated. Nothing made any sense to him. "Dr. Griffiths, where are we?"

"You don't know?"

Picard shook his head. "We do not."

"Oh, my apologies for my poor manners, Captain," Dr. Griffiths answered him; her express was one of embarrassment. "Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the island of Never Land."

* * *

**Will Captain Picard and the others believe her? What about the person Dr. Griffiths was speaking with? And what is the source of the strange energy readings? Find out in the upcoming chapters.**

**Thank you for reading. **


	4. Chapter 4

**First Contact**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

"I'm sorry, but did you say 'the island of Never Land?'" Dr. Crusher asked.

"Yes, I did," Elizabeth Griffiths replied.

The foursome gave each other looks of disbelief.

"Dr. Griffiths," Captain Picard began as he approached her, "the island of Never Land is a fictional place found only in the writings of-."

"-author J.M. Barrie, yes I know, I have his book in my library." she finished. "However, Never Land is real and you are here on the island."

Captain Picard began to suspect the intervention of his old nemesis, Q. _Perhaps this is another of his games_, he thought. It would be very much like Q to place them in such a situation, not unlike the incident in Sherwood Forest. However, Q usually announces his intentions and then whisks away the players against their wills using his powers. He wouldn't bother with such an elaborate ruse such as sensor readings to bring them here. That simply wasn't his modus operandi.

"Doctor Griffiths, could you please explain how this place came to be known through Mr. Barrie's writings?" Picard asked trying to ferret out the deception.

"Mr. Barrie was an acquaintance of the Deorwine family," Dr. Griffiths explained. "Peter brought the children here so they could have adventures and Wendy could tell stories."

"Deorwine?" Geordi asked.

"Oh, yes, my apologies," she said, embarrassed. "Mr. Barrie changed the name to Darling for his book so that the family could live without interruption."

"Are you saying that Peter Pan is real?" Picard started to ask.

Dr. Griffiths rushed passed him towards Data. "Oh my, are you ill? You look positively jaundiced." She turned and spoke to Dr. Crusher. "How can you call yourself a physician when this poor man is suffering? He looks to have liver failure."

This is why Picard wanted Data and Geordi to stay hidden. He chose to deal with this situation by trying to change the subject while simultaneously motioning to Beverly to remove Commander Data immediately. She took Data back into the shuttle.

"Tell me, Doctor," Picard began, "in what year were you born?"

"In the Year of our Lord 1881, why do you ask?" Dr. Griffiths replied.

Eighteen eighty-one? That would make her more than five hundred years old, Picard quickly determined. No human could live so long. Not even with modern technology could so many years be attained. Picard wondered if this was all some kind of illusion to deter them from finding the source of the strange energy readings. His theory that alien life forms lived in this pocket universe might be validated. They could have tapped into his mind, found memories of the text Peter and Wendy, and used it as a template to create this world to protect themselves from the intruders, namely himself and his away team.

As a Starfleet Captain, Picard was many things: an explorer and scientist; a diplomat; and when necessary a combat strategist and tactician. The best starship commanders knew when to best to be each one and how to balance them at any given moment. Right now, he was an explorer, but he also had an obligation to determine if any threat lay in this pocket universe. This meant he was also acting as a military strategist and combat officer. Yet if there was an alien society living in this place, he also had to balance both of those roles with being a diplomat.

As he thought about how best to proceed, Picard noted that if these aliens did exist and could read his thoughts, then they surely would have been able to determine he and his away team was no threat. Of course, some sentient beings just want to be left alone no matter how benevolent the visitor.

"Doctor Griffiths, where were you born?" he asked.

"The City of London," she replied. "St. Mary's Hospital to be exact."

"And where did you attend school?" Picard pressed further, hoping to confound the woman and perhaps reveal herself or her true nature, whatever it may be. It did not go as planned.

"King's College," she replied. Her face turned suspicious. "Did you not intend to come to Never Land?"

"I beg your pardon?" Captain Picard replied.

"You said earlier that you thought Never Land was a fictional place," she stated. "Clearly that means you had no intention of coming here."

"Yes, that is correct."

"Then what brought you here? Are you pirates? If you are, you will find nothing of value here," she said firmly. "You are welcome to leave in your vessel just as you came. If you choose not to, I can summon the cannibals to assist me."

"Yeah, how did you do that?" Geordi asked. "I mean, they're cannibals, they eat people. What did you say that made them turn around without so much as a fight?"

"As I said earlier, it is a game they play," she answered. "Usually with the Piccaninny Indians or the Lost Boys."

That name sounded quite familiar to Picard. After a moment of searching his memory, he remembered that this was the name of the Native American tribe described in the book and play of _Peter Pan_. Her reference to the Lost Boys, the young boys that Peter "commanded" as his men seemed to confirm his earlier question that initially went unanswered. Picard had gotten some useful personal information out of Dr. Griffiths, but he was annoyed that he could only get answers that led to more questions.

"Who are you really?" he demanded. "You cannot be Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths. No human can live so long. Now who are you?"

"I am precisely who I say I am," she replied, sounding deeply insulted. "And how dare you question my veracity? You are hardly a military officer, as I have never seen such ruddy looking uniforms. I can only assume you are a pirate who has commandeered this vessel with a fine name attached to it. Now good to you I say." She stomped her foot for emphasis.

Picard turned to look at the shuttlecraft. She spoke of it as though it may float rather than fly. It would be in keeping with someone from her era since space flight didn't come to prominence until the 1960's. Still, it could all just be a masquerade for something else. Picard decided to end the questions there, with but one more.

"Dr. Griffiths, are you related to Dr. Jonathon Griffiths?" he queried.

"Yes, now please leave, whoever you are," she said, pointing angrily to the shuttle.

"Of course," he said with a smile and turned to walk away.

Geordi followed dutifully, but seemed a bit perplexed. "Are we leaving?" he asked.

"No, Mr. La Forge, we're going to do some research," Picard answered.

**~O~**

Once inside the shuttlecraft, Captain Picard questioned his away team members.

"Dr. Crusher? What did your medical scans reveal?" he asked.

While the away team had been speaking to the woman, Dr. Crusher had quietly opened her medical tricorder and gathered readings on her. When she took Data back inside the shuttle, Beverly examined the information and found nothing out of the ordinary. As far as her medical tricorder was concerned, Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths was a human woman in her mid thirties in good health. The only anomaly was a trace of radiation.

"What kind of radiation?" Picard asked.

"The type consistent with nuclear weapons," she answered. This revelation unnerved Picard, as it was wholly inconsistent with her testimony concerning her birth date and age. Furthermore, Dr. Crusher's tricorder exam revealed that the woman had aged only thirty plus years and that the radiation exposure occurred just recently.

"Is it harmful?" Geordi asked.

"No, the levels aren't enough to be dangerous, but she should get inoculated as soon as possible just to be safe."

Now why would aliens attempting to conceal themselves add such an extraneous detail, Picard asked himself. It wouldn't help their cause at all. Any alien species capable of reading their minds would know that medical tricorders would be able to scan for such a thing.

"Could it all be an elaborate illusion?" Picard asked the other three.

"Possibly, but not likely," Geordi replied first. "Either Data or I might be able to see through the illusion." Geordi, having been born blind, was fitted with special ocular implants that allowed him unique vision that went beyond human sight. Data, being an android, could see even more than Geordi.

"Our tricorder readings do not indicate any technology capable of rendering such an elaborate illusion, Captain," Data offered. "If such an illusion were introduced through mental telepathy, as an android, I would be immune."

Picard nodded. "Yes, of course." Data would have noticed immediately that the illusion was a mental projection. He would have then taken all necessary steps to alert the captain or remove the other three from the island to a safe distance.

"All of our tricorder readings thus far read as an earth identical environment," Crusher furthered. "It's almost as if this biosphere were a clone of our home planet with several varieties of plant and animal specials brought together and co existing in close quarters. Even the chemical makeup is the same, although I could give you a more definitive answer with the computers on the _Enterprise_."

The shuttlecraft computer chirped. Geordi checked the read out. "Captain, the sensors are picking up that energy signature close by. It's faint, but definitely outside."

Dr. Crusher turned to look out of the window and saw that Dr. Griffiths was still on the beach waiting for them to leave. She seemed most animated. "It looks like she is talking to someone, but sensors don't show another life form on the beach," she said. "Just the energy reading…, right next to her."

The shuttle sensors did record the presence of the cannibal horde within the vicinity, but they were at a safe distance. Only Dr. Griffiths and the unique signature were nearby. Then, the signature vanished.

"I wonder what's going on out there?" Geordi asked rhetorically.

Picard sighed for a moment, and then opened a hailing frequency to the Enterprise. He updated Lt. Commander Franklin of what they had found and told him to relay that information to Starfleet Command. Then he asked Franklin to search all available databases for one Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths, born in 1881 at St. Mary's Hospital in London, England, attended King's College, graduated with degrees in Botony and Zoology and possibly related to Dr. Jonathon Griffiths.

"Look for any legal records such birth and death certificates, marriage licenses or university documentation," he instructed. "Also, search for any pictures of a person matching the description, include photos or paintings."

"Aye, sir," Franklin replied before Picard closed the line.

"Well now, it seems we will soon get an answer about our Dr. Griffiths," he said.

**~O~**

It wasn't long to wait before information from the _Enterprise_ began to feed through to the shuttlecraft. Franklin had done his due diligence and provided a wealth of information on Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths. Included in the data stream was her birth certificate, which did indeed indicate that one Elizabeth Griffiths was born in 1881 to father Martin Griffiths and mother Elizabeth Windham Griffiths.

"Looks like she was named for her mother," Beverly observed.

Picard also found hospital and school and university records, a mailing address, a few newspaper clippings concerning her father, who was also a scientist. However, something was missing. Franklin explained that no death certificate was ever filed for her, or her father. One was made for her mother who died as a result of complications from childbirth and another for a younger brother who perished the same day.

Jonathon Griffiths was a distant relative, a famous entomologist whose groundbreaking work in studying insects greatly expanded the field.

"Looks like being a scientist runs in the family," La Forge commented.

"Geordi," Data began, "it is likely that the interests of the parents were passed on to the child through regular exposure of the-,"

"Mr. Data!" Picard snapped.

"Yes, Captain." The android stopped rambling.

Jean-Luc went through the pictures and photos that were available. The first one he came across was a sepia toned photo of Elizabeth when she was a baby. She had a cherubic face and a silly smile. In the next she appeared to be about nine years old and had pigtails in her hair. A later photo, this one in more traditional black and white showed a woman in her late twenties or early thirties. She looked _exactly_ like the woman who was outside still waiting for the ship to depart.

"It would seem that we have a five hundred year old woman in our midst," Picard said.

"So now what do we do?" Beverly asked.

After taking a deep breath, Picard answered. "We tell her what year it is, about us and about Starfleet. And we confirm if this is indeed Never Land."

* * *

**I'm sorry this chapter took so long to post. I've been busy with household repairs, distracted by school and usually very tired from it all.**

**I do hope that you found this chapter enjoyable. Thank you for reading and following this story.**

**Note: Deorwine is an Anglo-Saxon name meaning "Dear Friend."**


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